Frequently Asked Questions

A: 

The elk tag can only be used to harvest an elk, bear, lion or wolf as long as there is a season for elk and the species harvested such as bear. An elk tag cannot be used to harvest a deer. In addition, once the tag has been used to harvest an animal it cannot be used again. You can purchase a second general season elk tag to continue to hunt for elk.

A: 

You are not required to validate your tag until you take possession of the animal.  Hunters must make a reasonable effort to retrieve an animal that is wounded.  There are times when wounded animals are not found or recovered.  

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Yes, sockeye have returned to Redfish Lake and viewing of spawning fish can be done at the upper end of the lake.  Viewing from a boat is the best way to see the sockeye. Once our new Springfield Fish Hatchery is at full production, expect to see many, many more sockeye in future years in the Stanley Basin.  

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It is possible to recover this animal if you contact Idaho Fish and Game and get with the local Conservation Officer.  You did the right thing by not shooting the bull when you located it several days later; since you validated your tag.  If the animal is wondering, recovery is highly unlikely.  The Conservation Officer likely cannot commit enough time to this effort.  It is the busy season.  We cannot authorize you to hunt the animal without a valid tag in your possession.  If you are in an area that still has tags available you could purchase a non-resident elk tag and have a valid tag in possession if you run into the elk again.  Please contact the closest Idaho Department of Fish and Game Regional Officer if you have more information or want to discuss it. 

A: 

Idaho Fish and Game's controlled hunt drawing system was built in the early 1990s.  The drawing system hasn't had any glitches or problems.  The problem this year associated with young hunters being allowed to put in for controlled hunts, did not involve the drawing system.  The problems occured because the Director felt the agency failed to communicate requirements for eligibility and so he decided the allow those who put in and drew to keep their tags.  If you can provide more information about what you see as major issues and glitches, we will be glad to look into those and provide a second response.  Also, Fish and Game is in the process of developing a new drawing system.

A: 

The answer to the question is simple: how good are you with the firearm/bow you are using?  The most important thing in cleanly killing a wolf or any animal is being a competent shooter.  Accuracy is always increased the closer a person is to the target.  The chances for a miss increase the further away you are.  Wolves do not provide a large vital area, and typically don't stand around in the open for long.  The vital area (heart/lung ) on a wolf is about the size of a dinner plate.  If you center punch that target area consistently at 200 yards with a rest, you are doing well.  Off hand, or standing shots, moving targets, etc. would require you to be much much closer.  Any center fire firearm that is accurate to 200 yards and you are comfortable with can kill a wolf.  Same advice for a bow.  The closer the better.  Certainly under 40 yards is the goal for any bow hunter with legal equipment for big game, especially with a small target like a wolf.  You should be always thinking about how close you can get to the quarry before shooting, not how far the equipment can shoot.  The failure of a shot is 99% of the time because of the shooter, not the firearm.  Wounding is unacceptable for any good hunter. Good luck, and good aim!

A: 

The distribution of fall Chinook salmon in Idaho is very different than that of spring/summer Chinook and steelhead. Fall Chinook are found only in the Snake River downstream of Hells Canyon Dam and the lower portions of the Clearwater River. A few do venture a short distance up the Salmon River but that number is really insignificant compared to the numbers in the Snake and Clearwater rivers. Yes, there is limited opportunity for non-boaters to fish for fall Chinook. Most of the fish return to the unroaded section of the Snake River and almost all of the non-boat fishing occurs just downstream of Hells Canyon Dam. Both Idaho and Oregon shore-anglers have been successful catching fall Chinook at Hells Canyon Dam. In 2013 Idaho extended the fall Chinook season into November for the section of the Snake River just downstream of Hells Canyon Dam. The primary purpose of that was to extend the fishing season for shore anglers in that area. In addition to the distribution of fall Chinook being different from spring/summer Chinook, their behavior also is different. Bank angling techniques in Idaho for fall Chinook haven't been as successful as for spring/summer Chinook because of the large rivers fall Chinook are found in and how they migrate through those rivers. Idaho Fish and Game will try to provide more options for fall Chinook fishing but there are limited opportunities to expand fishing just because of where the fish are and their behavior.

A: 

Fishing from public bridges is allowed unless posted as "closed to pedestrian traffic" by the appropriate regulatory body (Idaho Dept. of Transportation, County Commission order, City Ordinance, etc.).  Only the Idaho Fish and Game Commission can designate a public area "open or closed to fishing."

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The statutory definition of fishing from Idaho Code 36-202(k) is: "Fishing - any effort made to take, kill, injure, capture, or catch any fish or bullfrog.”  If what you’re doing falls within this definition, and it sounds like it does, then you need to purchase a license and abide by the rules set-forth by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission.

A: 

There certainly are grizzly bears in Unit 1, particulary in the Trapper Ck burn north of Priest Lake.  As you noted, there are also good densities of black bears.  The fire resulted in a great big huckleberry shrubfield, thus explaining the high density of both types of bears. The area probably has the highest density of grizzly bears in northern Idaho, but that has to be put in perspective.  There are perhaps 35-40 grizzly bears in that portion of the Selkirks (an educated guess, not a scientific fact), but that includes an area of perhaps 250-300 sq miles, or a density of about 1 grizzly bear every 6-8 sq miles.  The density of black bears may be more on the order of 1 black bear per sq mile. There are a several things that you might consider as far as hunting black bears in there.  The first would be to go to the IDFG website and find the bear identification test.  That would be a good start on assuring that you correctly identify the species of bear you are looking at.  You certainly don't want to make that mistake! The second would be to carry bear pepper spray.  I'd recommend both of you carry it and be sure to carry it where you can quickly get to it - it doesn't do much good if you need it in a hurry and it's stuck in your daypack.  You can find lots of videos about the use of pepper spray.  Search for the IGBC website (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) for a good start. Lastly, make sure to keep a clean camp.  This goes for black bear and grizzly bear country both.  There is no history of habituated grizzly bears in that area and we certainly don't want to start any. The area is beautiful and there is an opportunity to take a nice black bear and have a great hunting experience.  The likelihood of encountering a grizzly bear is rare, but you are doing the right thing in thinking about that aspect of the hunt.  Ultimately you have to make the decision.  I hope I've given you some things to think about.

A: 

Idaho Fish and Game has adopted the season recommendation approved by the Pacific Flyway Council and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These recommendations are the result of a new harvest strategy, which represents a more informative approach to managing harvest of mourning doves as envisioned in the Mourning Dove National Strategic Harvest Management Plan approved by the Flyway Councils in 2003. This new strategy is based on band returns from hunter-harvested doves, which are then used to predict mourning dove abundance. The new season structure allows more opportunity, while conserving mourning dove populations and minimizing annual regulatory change. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved the new season structure in Idaho during a July 2014 meeting; six months after the Upland Game Hunting Regulations were published. While Eurasian collared doves have undoubtedly increased over time, we are unaware of any detrimental impacts to mourning doves. Eurasian-collared doves may be taken in any amounts and at any time by holders of the appropriate valid Idaho hunting or combination hunting license, provided such taking is not in violation of state, county, or city laws, ordinances or regulations.